Community / Economic Development
Fracking Opponents Charge Gov. Jerry Brown with Environmental Hypocrisy
The California governor, known for his outspoken climate advocacy, signed the nation's toughest fracking regulation bill in 2013. His response to those who want to ban fracking is that priority must be on reducing oil consumption.
Reclaimed Garden Models New Economic Development Strategy
A garden in Pittsburgh has become the model for a movement to combine environmental reclamation with economic development.

As Big Box Retailers Fade, New Uses Are Springing Up
The end of the era of the big box retailer is leaving landlords with the difficult task of finding new tenants for the large, empty storefronts.

Solving Homelessness: Title V's Shortcomings and Potential Explained
The Title V program makes the hard parts of solving homelessness—finding the money and the property—a lot easier. So why hasn't it been used at a much larger scale?
Oregon Voters Support LNG Export Facility
A proposed $7.5 billion facility to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Oregon's south coast received a resounding vote of support on Tuesday from Coos County voters who rejected a ballot measure that would have banned its construction.

Gentrification, for Better and Worse
Gentrification—more wealthy people moving into lower-income communities—often faces opposition, sometimes for the wrong reasons. It is important to consider all benefits and costs when formulating urban development policies.

Urban Orchard in East Detroit Trying to Be a Good Neighbor
When Wolverine Human Services bought 11 acres of East Detroit planning to remove abandoned houses for a U-Pick Orchard, neighbors protested. Now they've pivoted and aim to provide a resource to the community rather than run an agro-business.

A Rejuvenation Plan for Detroit's Highland Park
Along with Hamtramck, Highland Park is one of two tiny cities entirely surrounded by the city of Detroit. Here's how its leaders want its center to develop over the next five to ten years.

How Aging Urban Churches Can Be Saved
Churchgoing in Washington, D.C. is on the decline, and neighborhood churches are finding it hard to pay the bills. One solution is to go mixed-use and share space with new development.

Maryland Positions Itself as Nation's Leader in Offshore Wind Power
In a few years, Maryland is expected to be the nation's leader in offshore renewable wind power made possible by the Public Service Commission's approval on May 11 of credits to two projects by U.S. Wind and Skipjack Offshore Energy.

Has Placemaking Become Cliché?
There’s very little that differentiates proposals by four distinguished planning and design firms to better connect my university to its immediate neighborhood and the wider city. Why is that, and does it have to be that way?
Threats and Opportunities for Low-Income Community Development Investment
Community development finance institutions (CDFIs) have tapped into the bond market, and the potential for investment is huge, but the Trump Administration could erase the progress of CDFIs.

California Cap-and-Trade Shares the Wealth, With Zipcars for Public Housing Residents
Residents of public housing in California's state capital now have new access to economic mobility in the form of a shared fleet of electric cars—all made possible by the state's cap-and-trade system that limits and offset carbon emissions.

Report: Tax Increment Financing Is the New Redlining
A new report from the Show-Me Institute provides a scathing critique of the demographic disparities apparent in how the city of St. Louis deploys tax increment financing.

What Will Los Angeles Will Do Next On Housing & Water? Look To Their Neighbors
The cities of Santa Monica, Culver CIty, West Hollywood, and Malibu are championing stormwater infrastructure, new public transit, affordable housing, and action on homelessness prevention.

Middle Neighborhoods: On the Edge of Greatness or Distress
St. Louis provides the backdrop for a discussion about "middle neighborhoods"—the subject of a 2016 book by Paul C. Brophy.

Federal Reserve Banks Look for Small Town Lessons in Growth
What do Rochester, Cedar Rapids, Grand Rapids, and Chattanooga have to do with each other? According to Federal Reserve Banks, they are all examples of cities doing growth right.
A Planner's View of the Los Angeles Riots
Parts of Los Angeles erupted in flames 25 years ago this week. The causes were varied, but the results were geographic. Planners and community development efforts tried to help, but their effects have been lost in the wind.

Great Places: What Every Urban Enthusiast Should Know
Melissa Hege, AICP, shares her thoughts on what every urban enthusiast should know about good streets and great places.

Friday Eye Candy: The Antidote to Detroit 'Ruin Porn'
The new book "Detroit: The Dream Is Now" tells a story of revitalization and ambition, in the same city where far too many "ruin porn" photographers have tread.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions